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Iran is ready to reinitiate nuclear negotiations with the United States provided that it is treated with "dignity" and "honor", Tehran's foreign minister has announced.

Abbas Araghchi said only diplomacy worked, and shared fresh requests had come from go-betweens to reopen negotiations with the American leadership. He said Iran did not have undeclared nuclear sites, and Iran could not yet permit the UN nuclear inspectorate to inspect bombed nuclear sites for security reasons.

Walking a Complex Path

Araghchi is navigating a difficult course since Iran does not want appear to be acting from a position of weakness, and he consistently maintained that Iran had emerged more powerful militarily and mentally from the coordinated strike on its nuclear sites in June.

He was speaking at a security conference in Tehran where he reiterated that Iran had "a fundamental entitlement to process nuclear material domestically that it will never give up" – the main reason of the impasse in the prior discussions.

Earlier Negotiations Abruptly Ended

The prior phases of discussions between the US and Iran were ended suddenly and bitter termination on 12 June when Israel, with American backing, struck Iranian nuclear sites in a 12-day war that culminated with the US president claiming the sites had been obliterated. Afterward, Western states exercised their privilege to reimpose international penalties, but Iran insists they have not had a significant effect.

Ideal Resolution Suggested

Tehran representatives said they felt they had reached a "magic solution" to the uranium processing matter in previous talks, when it was settled an Iran-based consortium with Washington's engagement could process nuclear material. Both sides would have been able to assert triumph since home-based processing would have persisted and the US could be confident that Iran's atomic project was solely for peaceful purposes.

It had not been settled in the discussions that American atomic experts could operate on Iranian soil, but that was a natural consequence of the cooperative offer. Officials asserted three times they had achieved a deal with Trump's special envoy the American negotiator only for the agreement to fall apart due to "spoilers in Washington".

Present Position

Iran's diplomats said the cooperative arrangement was now no longer available, but it seems very probable the suggestion could be reintroduced in various formats if talks resume.

Trump recently stated he had been obtaining communications that Iran desired to reopen negotiations, but in private Iran's diplomats say they are not yet getting coherent offers from America either directly or from key regional mediators, such as Qatar, Egypt, Oman and Saudi Arabia. The Tehran's diplomatic corps has been criticized of non-responsiveness in the aftermath of Washington's unmediated tactics, but Tehran asserts diplomacy is not part of a show.

Negotiating Stance

In his speech to the forum, aimed to paint the US as a hegemonic power that exploits the concept of global regulations, Araghchi stated the two-week conflict demonstrated the conflict could not be ended by military means. He said the assaults started with a Washington's ultimatum for an complete Tehran capitulation and culminated with an unconditional call for a truce.

Iran is certain the opening assaults from Tel Aviv were carried out with total Washington understanding and collaboration, making trust difficult to restore.

Dialogue Remains the Final Resolution

Araghchi declared: "It was not Iran that had fled negotiations; it was America and the European states that had always attempted to enforce their demands during the talks. Dialogue can still be alive and stays the primary resolution to address conflicts, but its criteria, regulations and tenets must be followed."

"In case they speak to the citizens of Tehran with the tone of respect and honor, they will get a reply in the equivalent language."

Restoration and Reconstruction

In what is portrayed by Iranian officials as the battle of repair and rebuilding, the foreign minister claimed he was assured Iran's security strengths "have significantly improved than prior to 13 or 14 June of this year. All our capabilities have been reestablished. We learned numerous insights from this conflict; we have identified our internal vulnerabilities and the shortcomings of the adversary."

He stated: "We successfully passed this conflict. Our atomic expertise, which they planned to eliminate, remains in place. The facilities and equipment, if damaged, will be reconstructed; what is important is the will of the Iranian people and then the unity of the country that they aimed at, but were unable to break. The Iranian people have grown more powerful, more integrated, and more supportive of the administration and the nation in the face of this invasion."